After 200 Days, Most Government Management Roles Unfilled

Washington, D.C.– Fewer than one-third of critical federal agency management roles have been filled as the Trump administration marks 200 days in office, a pace that significantly trails recent past administrations, according to new data from the Bipartisan Policy Center.

BPC’s Management Excellence Tracker follows the administration’s progress in filling 50 Senate-confirmable positions responsible for the management of budgets or large numbers of employees. By the 200-day mark, both the Obama and George W. Bush administrations had filled more than 70 percent of these positions.

While Senate confirmation is moving more slowly—Trump nominees have waited an average of 54 days from nomination to confirmation, compared with 36 days and 38 days for Obama and Bush nominees, respectively—the Trump administration also lags in nominating individuals to fill these positions. At the 200-day mark, both Bush and Obama had selected nominees for more than 75 percent of these positions, compared with just 57 percent so far for the Trump administration.

“These 50 positions are some of the most critical for efficient and effective operation of government,” said John Fortier, director of BPC’s Democracy Project. “Every day these management positions go unfilled is a day where government isn’t working as well as it can and taxpayer dollars aren’t spent as effectively as they should be. Filling these positions quickly should be a higher priority for the administration.”

The Management Excellence Tracker stems from key recommendations made by BPC’s Commission on Political Reform in 2014. The commission identified seven ways to improve the presidential appointment process, especially at the beginning of a new administration, noting that all Americans benefit when fully-empowered and confirmed appointees are running the government.